Fair Trade Judaica (FTJ)

Fair Trade Judaica promotes fair trade as a Jewish value through educating the Jewish community, and expanding the production, distribution, and sale of fair trade Judaica products. We envision a world in which Jewish consumers recognize fair trade as an expression of core Jewish values, seek out fair trade Judaica products, and use their purchasing power to support thriving communities of artisans around the world.

NEW Jewish Fair Trade Partnership

You and your community can now live your values at Kiddush, at meetings, at home, and in your office.

Fair Trade Judaica is proud to announce the launch of the Jewish Fair Trade Project, a partnership of FTJ, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and Equal Exchange. Our goal is to educate and empower Jewish communities to make ethical choices in purchasing, and to take concrete action to protect the human rights of all workers.

Here’s how it works:You buy fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea, or other select products (all certified kosher) for your synagogue, school, organization, or home through the Jewish Fair Trade Project. Special rates are available for bulk purchases, and we also offer opportunities to fundraise for your institution by selling fair trade products.

We send you delicious fair trade coffee and other products, along with Jewish educational materials including a table tent about why fair trade expresses our Jewish values.

Your purchase supports small farmers around the world, and allows these farmers to stay on their land, support their families, develop their communities, and maintain environmentally sustainable practices.

A portion of your purchase (15 cents per pound goes back to Fair Trade Judaica and T’ruah to support Jewish efforts to end modern-day slavery and protect workers’ rights.

Organic Hot Cocoa mix, Organic Baking Cocoa, and Organic Spicy Hot Cocoa are certified by the Kashruth Council of Canada.

Chocolate bars are certified by Rabbi Abraham Hochwald, Chief Rabbi of the Northern Rhine-Germany, and most are listed in the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative Movement)’s Passover Guide as kosher for Passover if purchased before the holiday begins.

What Congregations are saying:
“It’s a triple mitzvah: helping the farmers, environment, and your synagogue”, noted Rabbi Jill Hausman of The Actor’s Temple in New York.
“Our expression of Jewish values doesn’t end when we walk out of the worship service,” commented Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Congregation Netivot Shalom in California. “It’s important that the coffee we serve at Kiddush and the chocolate we eat on Passover reflect our core values of seeking justice for all people.”

Fair Trade Judaica's website would never have happened without three extraordinary people:Lisa K. Chanoff, whose generous donation made the project possible,Dean MacDonald who captured our essence with his brilliant logo and artistic influence, andAaron Hodge Silver who took our ideas and built a website we can grow into for a long time to come.